


A Crown Of Flowers

by TheLittleMuse



Category: The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Bitter Smithing, Child Bilbo, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-24
Updated: 2013-01-31
Packaged: 2017-11-26 19:11:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/653500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLittleMuse/pseuds/TheLittleMuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thorin, and a few other dwarves, go from place to place, working as blacksmiths, earning money to send to their kin in the Blue Mountains. They happen across The Shire and Thorin meets one little Bilbo Baggins, who manages to capture Thorin's heart for a small while, and in his own childish way, and for a short while, give Thorin some hope.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When Thorin had first seen the hobbits he had hated them. They acted oblivious to the outside world, not knowing how lucky they were and not making the slightest preparations to defend themselves.

The truth, Thorin had found, was near the complete opposite. As one hobbit had explained to him, “The land loves us, Master Dwarf, and we love the land. There’s a magic in the land and it protects us from the outside, and in turn, we care for it. We know exactly how lucky we are, and no gold or dwarven jewel could compare to the Shire.”

Although he disagreed on the value of dwarven jewels, he had to reassess his judgement of the hobbits.

Eventually he seemed to be primarily in the care of Belladonna Took-who-wasn’t-a-Took-because-she-married-Bungo-Baggins-but-she-really-is-a-Took-because-she’s-a-Took-and-Tooks-are-always-Tooks-no-matter-who-they-marry-even-if-it-is-a-Baggins.

Thorin had to wonder at the lung capacity of hobbits.

But he got on well enough with Belladonna and his work increased, as, although he was still seen as an Outsider, it seemed he had been given some official stamp of approval. And then he met Belladonna’s son.

He had never met Belladonna’s husband because, as far as he could, he was quite respectable and absolutely didn’t take to Outsiders. It must have been love, the gossips said, because in no other circumstances would a Took and a Baggins marry.

From what he had heard as to what was ‘Took’ and what was ‘Baggins’ Belladonna’s son, Bilbo, seemed to be entirely Took, whatever his name. At first he had been reluctant to let a child into the forge (his reaction to the idea had been entirely understandable, whatever Belladonna might say), but the child had wormed his way in with his eager chatter and fascination with stories of the outside world, which the homesick dwarves were happy to give to him.

Thorin found himself growing fond of Little Bilbo and even when he was working he, or one of the other dwarves, especially Balin, who had grown fond of him, and who had always had a fondness for children, could be found telling Bilbo stories, or telling him the history of the dwarves. Bilbo, who despite his age seemed to be growing into a remarkable storyteller, in turn told them stories of the hobbits and the history of the hobbits.

Thorin even began to talk of Erebor and Bilbo listened tucked at Thorin’s side or even on his knee during these special tellings. He was always silent, enraptured as Thorin’s voice ghosted over the halls that he had once known, the dwarven love embedded in the stones. Bilbo would close his eyes and feel the warmth of the fire and the glittering gold and sometimes, when he was very lucky, the dwarves would sing.

Then, when Thorin announced he would be leaving to once again return to the Blue Mountains and rejoin his kin, Bilbo decided he would do one last thing for the King With No Crown. Remembering the importance of braids to the dwarves, and the flower language he had learnt from birth, Bilbo decided to, as his leaving gift, braid in Thorin’s hair a crown of flowers.

Thorin was prepared to refuse, thinking it a mere folly of a (admittedly a kind hearted) child, but then he remembered what he had been told early on. The greatest treasure the Shire possessed, in the eyes of its inhabitants, were the things that grew, whether edible or not. And so he allowed Bilbo to braid him a crown.

Bilbo started with a base of Angrec, woven in a Bay Wreath, with the flowers of Borage and Buttercup and topped by an Oak leaf. The Crown of Flowers was necessarily beautiful by normal standards, but all the flowers had meanings and Thorin took care to learn them. When he had learnt the meaning he had swallow a small lump in his throat that this little child thought so much of him when he was, to all eyes, little more than a blacksmith.

In return Thorin made Bilbo an intricately carved knife, complete with belt and sheath and a small sign at the base of the handle which signalled that, though Bilbo would never know it, he part of the Guard of The King. A useless sign for they no longer existed.

He never told any of those that travelled with him of the sign he had left on the handle; for to reveal even the smallest part of the language of the dwarves was forbidden, let alone give such an honour to a stranger. But Bilbo had given him a strange hope which he could not describe. 

His allies had turned their backs on him without a thought, even his kin in the Iron Mountains refused to help. He passed through the cities of men as little more than a simple blacksmith. He never forgot, and this simple creature, who listened to his stories with such wonder, who looked at him and saw a king, who gave him the best crown he could make. This simple creature looked at him and saw the truth even though he had no reason to. Bilbo was not kin, he could have seen Thorin and seen a blacksmith as every other creature had, but he had looked at Thorin and recognised he was a king in heart and truth, and one day he would reclaim Eerbor. 

And so that was why Thorin gave him this one honour.

And so Thorin left the Sire, his heart a little lighter and his purse a little heavier, and remembered Bilbo in the stories he told his nephews.


	2. Chapter 2

When Gandalf had told Thorin that he would find his Burglar in the Shire he had been sceptical. Although he remembered the Shire with fondness, the Hobbits that resided there were not warriors, or even burglars, but he acquiesced, since Gandalf had an annoying habit of being right.

…

Bilbo watched the Dwarves, slightly helpless, as they poured into Bag End and felt a little jolt when he recognised Balin, looking not much older than he had when Bilbo was a boy. He supposed Dwarves aged differently to Hobbits. He rushed around, hoping that Balin at least would recognise him, tell him what was going on. There had to be some reason they were here.

Then the door opened once more.

“May I introduce the final member of our Company – Thorin Oakensield,” Bilbo’s breath caught. _Thorin_. As a boy (and as an adult, though he kept that a secret) he had dreamed of meeting the Dwarf King again, but he had never believed it would actually happen. Bilbo took a moment to look at Thorin. Only a few more streaks of silver betrayed the fact that any time had passed, but he still looked the same as in his memories.

“So. This is the Hobbit.”

Thorin’s voice was dismissive and cold and Bilbo gulped back all his boyish dreams. He had not been expecting Thorin to recognise him, but it still hurt.

“This is Bilbo Baggins, Thorin, I believe you’ve met before.”

“I met a boy of that name,” Thorin’s voice, thankfully, was not so dismissive, but more curious. Bilbo shrugged.

“Hobbits grow faster than Dwarves, I guess.”

Bilbo would always wonder afterwards whether he had imagined a quirk of Thorin’s lips that could’ve been a smile and the slight flicker of his eyes to his waist where he kept Thorin’s knife hidden, but forever on him.

“Has everything been explained to you?” Bilbo shook his head, Thorin sighed, “Very well, let us sit down and everything will be gone over.”

As he walked over Bilbo felt Balin pat him on the back, “Good to see you again, lad,” he said.

…

Bilbo fainting was not, in retrospect, unexpected, but it was very embarrassing.

“What use would I be, Gandalf?” said Bilbo, sitting in his chair, “I’m not a burglar, and I certainly can’t fight or survive in the Wild.”

“Well, unless you’ve forgotten your boyhood misadventures I think you’ll have to revise that first statement,” said Gandalf and Bilbo chuckled.

“True, although there is some difference between Hobbits and Dragons. And the other two still stand.”

Thorin, who had been observing the conversation, strode over. Nodded to Gandalf, who got up and left. Bilbo sat up straighter.

“From everything that I, and indeed, Gandalf, has observed I can see that you have quick, light feet and a sharp wit that would be most useful,” Thorin looked at Bilbo carefully, “I once remarked to Balin that I would take these Dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills, do you know why? Because they came when I called. Loyalty. Honour. A willing heart. That is what I require. You had it when you were a boy.”

Bilbo, now smiling fully, said, “I do not know how I might help you reclaim Erebor, but if I can help you, I will.”

Thorin nodded and beckoned for the contract.

…

The singing was done and Bag End was gradually getting quieter. Bilbo approached Thorin.

“Thorin? The knife you gave me, when I was a boy,” Bilbo took the knife from his ever present hidden belt, “On the hilt … the rune. What does it mean?”

Thorin took a great breath, “One day I will tell you, Bilbo Baggins. When we sit in the Halls of Erebor. For now, keep it hidden and on you at all times.”

…

The journey, as expected, was hard. There was a constant danger from all around, and many times Bilbo questioned his wisdom in coming, but he knew he could not leave. Not now.

Every kingly quality that Bilbo had seen in Thorin as a boy he now expanded on. Thorin was a leader, charismatic and strong. His Dwarves loved him and Bilbo found himself drawn in, and followed Thorin into fire. Thorin was also broken and beaten, but refused to give up. Despite everything, once, including Thorin's outright rejection of him (which had been followed a day later by a muttered apology) Bilbo began more and more to see Thorin as _his_ leader and he remembered Balin's words from long ago.

_That is when I saw him and I thought: there is one, there is one I could follow. There is one I could call King_.

...

“What does it mean then? The knife?” They were sitting in the Halls of Erebor, still magnificent, despite the dragon’s destruction.

Thorin looked at him as if weighing, evaluating, “It marks you as one of the Guards of the King,” he said eventually. Bilbo’s jaw dropped slightly. He could tell from the way Thorin said it that it was a great honour Thorin had bestowed on him; and he had only been a boy. “You looked at me and you saw a King, though you had no reason to. I wanted to repay the kindness you showed me. You honoured me as a King, and so I honoured you as a Guard. And you shall always be honoured in Erebor, for that, and most importantly for your actions on the Journey.”

… 

If any Dwarf wondered why a Hobbit was placing the crown on the head of the King, or why the Hobbit was inducted, along with the rest of the Company, into the newly reinstated Guard of The King, they kept their mouths shut.

Bilbo was not permitted to read the words of the coronation, of course, for they were in Khuzdul, the language of the Dwarves, that was done by Balin.

Bilbo lowered the crown onto Thorin’s head (for once he was taller than Thorin! He couldn’t help but feel a little chuffed at that) and beamed from ear to ear. Thorin looked up at him, a smile on his face that Bilbo suspected had not been seen since the days before Smaug.

The King had got his Crown again.

**Author's Note:**

> Everything I know about the language of flowers came from the internet and the meanings are as follows -   
> Angrec – Royalty, Bay Wreath – Glory, Borage – Courage, Buttercup – Riches, Oak leaf – strength.
> 
> Also, I have been thinking about the next part of this - when Thorin and Co meet Bilbo Baggins once more for the beginning of An Unexpected Journey, but I'm still working on that, so bear with me. Thanks.
> 
> Also, as far as I know there is nothing in Tolkien to suggest that the Dwarves had a 'Guard of The King', but it's not an unlikely thing for him to have. And I was a bit iffy about the inscription of the knife since the dwarves were really protective of their Khuzdul (the language of the dwarves) and even speaking it in the presence of a stranger was pretty much forbidden, but I put it in because I just liked the thought of Thorin, at his lowest point, is lifted up slightly by the unlikeliest of creatures, and so Thorin gives him an honour he will never truly realise the meaning of (he thinks. Hee hee)


End file.
